Rory Gilmore's Reading Challenge: A Review

            

    Gilmore Girls is a TV show about Lorelai Gilmore and her daughter Rory in small-town 2000s Connecticut. Lorelai had Rory when she was 16, which is the age Rory is now, and the show follows their crazy ups and downs, unfortunate mishaps, and misadventures in love. Albeit Lorelai and Rory are very different personality-wise--Lorelai is energetic and bubbly, while Rory is studious and wants to be a journalist--they resemble best friends more than mother and daughter, and their relationship is a central part of the show. 

"I can't believe we sit around and talk about books and get graded on it! I mean, there's almost nothing I like more than talking about a good book or a bad book or a really thick magazine."
    - Rory Gilmore, Gilmore Girls season 4 episode 5, "The Fundamental Things Apply"

   I love Gilmore Girls. It's my favorite show ever, and I've watched all seven seasons at least twice. Lorelai is my favorite character; I have the theme song memorized; I absolutely detest Dean; I know all of Stars Hollow like the back of my hand, and it's the show I watch when leaves are falling outside and the air is crisp and everything is tinted with a bit of orange and I want nothing more than to go apple picking in Curtis Orchard. Additionally, one of the most important parts of the seven-season series is how much Rory Gilmore loves reading! There's a stark contrast between Rory and Lorelai; Rory loves reading, and Lorelai loves old romcoms. However, it's a truth universally acknowledged that Rory Gilmore reads; through the many seasons of GG and A Year in the Life, she was seen reading at least 408 books on-screen. 

    To be blatantly honest, I doubt I have read 408 books in the past three years than Rory has in the 157 episodes that Gilmore Girls and A Year in the Life consisted of. However, there was nothing more left for me to do; since I'd watched it multiple times and had literal lines memorized from the show, I decided to review Rory's reading list and establish once and for all whether Rory has good taste! The list of Rory's books is here: https://www.epicreads.com/blog/rory-gilmore-reading-list/. Out of the entire list, I've read precisely nine books: The Catcher in the Rye, Charlotte's Web, David Copperfield, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, My Sister's Keeper, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and Rebecca. That's not very impressive, since I have 399 books to go, but suffice to say, I am not dedicated enough to read that much. In addition, all of these books are pretty old, but the show was made in 2000, so there wasn't any way Rory could have any more variety than that. 

    Therefore, I chose to read The Namesake, Of Mice and Men, and Pride and Prejudice for this blog! But why, Simrah? you ask. Why would you read three totally unrelated books that don't even sound all that interesting? Well, dearest reader, I tried choosing books from three different time periods: Pride and Prejudice was published in 1813, Of Mice and Men was published in 1937, and The Namesake in 2003. Additionally, I'd been meaning to read all of these books for the longest time (Of Mice and Men has been sitting on my bookshelf for forever) and finally, an opportunity presented itself for me to read it! Ergo, I will be reviewing each of these books in itsy-bitsy bite-size paragraphs. And, at the end, we'll conclude whether Rory Gilmore has cultured reading taste, and whether you should take time out of your day to attempt her reading challenge. 

    

    First up is The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri! To give a very quick overview, this amazing book follows Ashima and Ashoke Ganguli after their immigration to the United States in the 1960s from Calcutta in Bengal, India. Ashima and Ashoke had a hurriedly arranged marriage, and they never knew each other before their engagement in the slightest; Ashima was a college student, but she left school after marriage, and Ashoke was an MIT student and aspired to become a professor in the U.S. So the two of them move to America; they have a son after a few years; and while most parents name their children relatively close to its birth, it's customary for Bengalis to wait a while before naming their kids, and Ashima and Ashoke didn't have any names on hand. They were waiting for Ashima's grandma to send a letter with possible names since that was their plan, but she ended up having an aneurysm and they never received a letter. Therefore, because they can't leave the hospital without a temporary name, they name their kid Gogol; as in Nikolai Gogol, as in The Overcoat. Gogol is Ashoke's favorite author, but that's not why he temporarily named his child that--it's because of a much darker, more sincere reason that Gogol won't learn until he's grown and almost engaged and a student at Yale. In present day, however, Gogol has a problem with his name; it's not Indian, it's Russian, and no one else on the planet shares his name with him. After all, it's even the last name of the person it was inspired from. Gogol's parents wanted to call him Nikhil for school and Gogol at home, but that wasn't permitted by the principal, so Gogol became Gogol, officially: a temporary name with a secret meaning as the namesake of someone whose first name was ever so different. The Namesake follows Gogol and his family throughout his teenage years, many romances, eventual college education, and beyond! Wherever life takes him, from bustling New York to small-town Massachusetts, Gogol always struggles with his identity and understanding the meaning behind his name. Who is he? What does his name mean? Why is he burdened with the namesake of someone who wasn't even all that great of a person? Gogol is a part of many worlds, but he feels as though he doesn't fit in any--not at Yale, not at home because he's not "truly Bengali," not with his girlfriend's rich parents because they're rich and cultured and he's not (this was hilarious, however, because Gogol's dad is an Engineering professor at MIT, so he's not necessarily poor either), not with his eventual wife because she's just such an enigma; nowhere. I loved reading this book; I nearly cried at multiple parts, and the full-circle ending is all too sentimental and sweet. I would recommend The Namesake to literally everyone! I devoured this book in a matter of three days, and I almost wished it wasn't by the time it was over. 

   

Secondly, I read Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. When I finished the 107-page novella, I wasn't thinking, "Oh my God, that was an amazing book," or "What year is it again?" Alas, my dear reader, the first word to come out of my mouth was "Wow." Just wow. And not wow in a good sense, either; wow in the sense that this book was ridiculous and I don't even know why it's considered a classic. However, maybe I was being a bit shallow; maybe the reasoning for why Lennie is the way he is and why George did what he did goes deeper than I'd imagined. Of Mice and Men follows the nonplussed, deadpan, quote-unquote "small, quick, and dark of face" George, and the rather lacking Lennie, who "has the mind of a small child" but is of "tremendous size" (page 2). The two of them have been relying on each other to make their way through the 1800's Great Depression world since Lennie's Aunt Clara died, with nothing to their name but Lennie's shady past and their dream. Early in the book, Lennie practically begs George to tell him about the future they were bound to have: "... We're gonna get the jack together and we're gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an' a cow and some pigs ... and... rabbits ...  and the rain and the winter and the stove, and how thick the cream is on the milk like you can hardly cut it ... we'll have a big vegetable patch and a rabbit hutch and chickens. And when it rains in the winter ... we'll just build a fire in the stove ... and listen to the rain comin' down on the roof ... " (page 15). I almost cried at this part of the book--a mere 14 pages in--because George and Lennie aspired to be so much, to just live together on a farm with rabbits and chickens and cream of milk, and they relied on each other to realize that dream. They were different from other guys that worked on a ranch, says George, because "... we got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us... An' why? Because... I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that's why..." (page 14). So George and Lennie travel around California, ranch to ranch, doing odd jobs until something goes wrong and they have to move again. They just collect money, spend barely anything, eat beans without ketchup (much to Lennie's chagrin) and live off the belief that things will get better soon. Sure, George kvetches about how his life would be much better without the burden of Lennie he has to carry every single day; he could "... live so easy. I could go get a job an' work an' no trouble. No mess at all, and when the end of the month come I could take my fifty bucks and get into town and get whatever I want" (page 11). Notwithstanding, George sticks with Lennie and Lennie sticks with George, because they need each other; until they get hired at a ranch with a guy named Curley and his quote-unquote "flirtatious" wife. George warns Lennie to stay away from Curley's wife--who is the only female character in the book besides Aunt Clara, who is barely even mentioned--but Lennie is Lennie, and he barely understands. So what do you know? George and Lennie depend on each other to make it through the harsh West, or so Lennie supposes. George keeps saying he's going to leave Lennie, but he never does, until Lennie pushes it a bit too far--and then George does. When you think about it, Of Mice and Men bores a striking resemblance to our world today; everybody is always hoping for a better life, a life with private jets and expensive dresses and Met Gala invitations. The book maybe insinuated that you should be happy where you are, but at the same time, it seemed like it was just a book about human dreams and the many forces that work against them. Everybody in Of Mice and Men wants something, even Curley's wife, who wanted to be an actress. Additionally, Of Mice and Men was banned in 1948 for "racial slurs, profanity, vulgarity, and offensive language," according to the ALA. So, in conclusion, Of Mice and Men was an interesting read; I feel like I learned more about life during the Great Depression, and it was really wonderful to read about how our world today isn't that different from that of two men just wanting to live a better life in the 1800s. Also, it's clear that George and Lennie had always wanted the best for each other, and their friendship was really sweet, so much so that I can't believe what George did at the end of the book. To conclude, Of Mice and Men wasn't a very uplifting book; if anything, Steinbeck's novella proved that sometimes, you just have to do the wrong things for the right reasons.

    And, lastly, I read Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, published in 1813. Unfortunately, I couldn't finish the entire book before my blog was due (I only made it halfway), so this book review might not be completely accurate, but I have every single intention to finish the book and summarize the chapters I have read perfectly and concisely! Pride and Prejudice is about the bustling Bennet family: Jane, who is vibrant and cheerful; Elizabeth, who is just a little snobby but spirited; Mary, who is described as "plain" but wants to be successful in life; Catherine, or Kitty, who isn't mentioned much throughout the book; and Lydia, who is the family's baby, and catches the affection of the most dangerous man in town. The book follows the many ups and downs the Bennet women have in love, from the complete mess of Jane's courtship, to the turbulence and eventual full circle of Elizabeth's. Pride and Prejudice centers around three men: Mr. Darcy, who is filthy rich and filthy arrogant, Mr. Bingley, who is friendly and amazing and charming and all the great things, and Mr. Wickham, who seems to be a great guy, but is actually kind of a dirtbag. The book starts off with Mrs. Bennet, the Bennet sister's mother, telling her husband about how a man named Mr. Bingley has moved to their town, and how she intends to marry one of her daughters to him because of his wealth and stature. And, alas, if Mrs. Bennet hadn't been so nosy and acquainted Jane and Mr. Bingley, the trivial-but-beautiful enigma of Pride and Prejudice would have never happened; but the Bennet sisters go to a ball, and Jane meets Mr. Bingley, and it's love at first sight. However, Elizabeth meets--or rather notices--Mr. Darcy (who is Bingley's best friend, much to the Bennet's surprise, because they cannot imagine why someone as pleasant as Bingley would dare fraternize with a monster like Darcy), there too, and is beyond offended that: 

1. He wouldn't dance with anyone at the ball because no one was of his so-called prestine prestige  
2. He blatantly refused to dance with Elizabeth when Mr. Bingley suggested it
3. He didn't even acknowledge her (the audacity of this man!)

And so she begins detesting Mr. Darcy. But if only life were that easy; Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth keep meeting each other, and he keeps meddling in Jane's romance with Mr. Bingley, and the progression of their relationship is such a slow burn that I wasn't even surprised when Mr. Darcy showed up to Elizabeth's house with a lengthy proclamation of love for her. However, when the charming Mr. Wickham shows up in town, Elizabeth has finally met someone who hates Mr. Darcy as much as she does; until Mr. Darcy reveals that Wickham is actually a horrible man with a horrible ulterior motive. And, pray tell, Mr. Darcy, what is that ulterior motive? Well, it is what it always is: Money. It's what drives Mrs. and Mr. Bennet in their need to achieve a male heir, what makes Mr. Darcy so proud to possess and Elizabeth so proud to survive without much. In the end, Pride and Prejudice boils down to two things: love and money. Their relationship, how they're intertwined, and how it can make a person proud, whether they have it or not. Needless to say, I beyond adored this book. The writing was tough to get through at times (after all, it was written in 1813), but I could really imagine myself in the ballrooms and fields and in the Bennet's house and Netherfield! Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy's romance was a slow burn, and that was so fun to read in so many ways. I didn't finish the entire book, sadly, but I loved it enough to want to, and Pride and Prejudice was my favorite of the books I read out of Rory Gilmore's list. It's such a great story about love, money, class, and prejudice! In many people's opinions (including my own, before I read the book), Elizabeth was the "pride" of the title and Darcy was the "prejudice", but that's not how it was in the mere chapters I was able to get through. Sometimes, Elizabeth can be the pride--her judging Mr. Darcy right when she met him and refusing to get to know him better--and sometimes, she can be the prejudice, à la her thinking he's a snobby fool just because he has money. However, Mr. Darcy was both proud and prejudiced for the same reason: he didn't want to tell Elizabeth he loved her because her family wasn't, suffice to say, rich enough for him. I could drone on about this book for hours--I only finished half of it and still, this is much too long--but Pride and Prejudice was so delectable a read! I almost forgot it was nearly 200 years old as I was reading; as I said earlier, I could imagine myself in all of the situations Austen portrayed so perfectly, and I dreaded having to stop reading. I would recommend this book to everyone! Even if you don't like romance, Pride and Prejudice is a great place to start if you are looking to advance your vocabulary or knowledge of the class system in 1800s England, and it's a wonderful movie too. 

    So, in conclusion, is attempting the Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge--reading all 408 books cover to cover--worth it? Needless to say, I love Gilmore Girls, but I didn't read all 408 books. I read three, and I was pretty sapped by the end, because both Pride and Prejudice and Beloved are rather old books with a lot of big words that require actual brainpower to comprehend. If anything, I think Rory has really exceptional taste; even though I didn't read all of the books, there was a little bit of everything within her list. Romance, drama, Shakesperean, autobiographical, biographical, downright boring--you name it, and it's on there. And, even though I only read three books out of the entire list, I really feel like I gained something; now, I know a little bit more about what the world was like ages before today, and I have a better understanding of how language has evolved and grown. I was putting off reading so many books when I decided to try her list--I had no intention of reading Of Mice and Men, I had thought Pride and Prejudice would be too hard a read, and I was scared The Namesake would be downright boring--but I was proved wrong on so many levels. In fact, I wouldn't even have attempted reading Pride and Prejudice if it wasn't for Rory Gilmore's list, but now I'm engrossed and it's an amazing book and I'm so glad I tried it! So, ergo, Rory Gilmore's list seems like a great way to broaden your literary horizons and try new things; it's a wonderful place to start if you want to get smarter or become a book connoisseur. Therefore, I would definitely recommend her reading list to anyone who has the time and patience! It would be quite a feat if someone were to finish the entire list: what with books like Beowolf, it seems like a huge undertaking, but "Finish Rory Gilmore's reading list" is definitely going on my resolutions for 2023! 

- Simrah